Bacterial endospores can survive without nutrients. They are resistant to ultraviolet radiation, desiccation, high temperature, extreme freezing and chemical disinfectants. Common anti-bacterial agents that work by destroying vegetative cell walls don't work on endospores. Endospores are commonly found in soil and water, where they may survive for long periods of time.
Development of a rapid and/or sensitive method for detecting and in particular quantitatively detecting bacterial endospores has been challenging.